Commentary on Wu Lengxi’s Report〔1〕 Concerning the Comprehensive Coverage of Foreign Reactions to the Eighth Plenary Session of the Eighth CPC Central Committee〔2〕 (September 1959) Read by Liu, Zhou, Zhu, Lin, Chen Yi, and Peng Zhen〔3〕; returned to Mao. The majority of fraternal countries support us: North Korea, Vietnam, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Albania. The situation in Hungary is unclear, but it also appears relatively favorable. Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript. Notes 〔1〕 Wu Lengxi was then President of the Xinhua News Agency and Editor-in-Chief of the People’s Daily. 〔〕 In this report submitted to Mao Zedong at 4:00 p.m. on September 4, 1959, Wu Lengxi stated that earlier that afternoon he had discussed with several colleagues from the Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Daily the Chairman’s instructions to provide full coverage of reactions from fraternal countries and the Western press to our Eighth Plenary Session, and they decided to take the following measures: (1) Compile and report, by country, the responses published in the newspapers and periodicals of various fraternal nations to our Eighth Plenary Session. (2) Extensively collect and publish favorable comments about us appearing in Asian and Western media. (3) As for defamatory remarks from Western sources, select and report those that are particularly malicious and representative, accompanied by commentary. When Mao Zedong forwarded Wu Lengxi’s report to Comrades Liu Shaoqi and others for their review, he titled it “On the Issue of Foreign News.” 〔3〕 Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Zhu refers to Zhu De. Lin refers to Lin

Biao, who at the time served as Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Chen Yi was then a member of the CPC Central Political Bureau, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Peng Zhen was a member of the CPC Central Political Bureau and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee. ５£³